Joe's controversial approach to life is fuelled by his fixation on Abbie, and a beautiful wedding offers the perfect opportunity for him to seduce her - everyone loves a wedding, don't they? The only hurdle is Eddie - Abbie's son and Joe's best friend - but inebriated and forcing an end to the evening, he inadvertently assists Joe's quest and a suitably indulgent night beckons. But what should have been a culmination of Joe's eleven-year obsession descends into chaos and devastation, wrenching Joe from all he's known for the majority of his life. Accustomed to getting what he wants, it's not until he really gets what he wants that his world unravels and his control slips away. Be careful what you wish for, be careful who you wish for, for obsession comes with a price… but is it a price worth paying?
Explicit - strictly 18+
Excerpt
Closing the door, Abbie heard Joe’s car screech out of the drive and, closing her eyes, she fell to the floor and wept… and wept, her body contorted in the worst pain she’d ever experienced; she heard unfamiliar sounds, loud sounds, that seemed very close and after considerable time, realised they were emanating from her. Frozen, incapable of movement, her body struggled to manage the agony coursing through it and the sobs that wracked it continuously, leaving her gasping for breath, her brain unable to cope with another task. Finally freeing itself from its oppressive burden, it allowed the hysteria to subside long enough for its host to draw breath and move to a more comfortable setting. Wiping her face, Abbie grabbed a glass and the half-filled bottle of wine, ignoring the significance of what its opening had preceded, and sat on the sofa, breathing deeply, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the as-sault began again. Sipping slowly, her mind struggled to keep pace with the images battering it, the memories flashing brightly, noisily, and she willed the clock hands, after centuries of forward motion, to change direction, just for a few hours, to change her fate, promising to learn from the experience and be a better person, but they refused her imploration. And then came the alternatives, the ‘what-ifs’, the ‘maybe-they’ve-got-it-wrongs’ and the sudden spark that told her they must have missed something that had her reaching for her phone to call the hospital, just as the tiny, remaining speck of sanity removed the phone from her hand, placing it carefully on the coffee table, allowing a moment’s grace before the next wave of grief attacked, with little warning or concern for the wreck it sought to destroy. Abbie knew this process would continue for the night and chose to allow it to take its course unchallenged, for what would be the point? Aside from the inevitable failure, she had no energy or will to fight, nor for anything else right now. As the tears flowed freely and her body continued to shake uncontrollably, her mind remained a writhing mass of tormented thoughts and she continued to drink in the sincere hope it would, at worst, send her to sleep, or at best, send her to Eddie; she could hope for nothing more now because nothing else mattered.
